Four Corners
by CitizenNancy
Summary: A Boston Public/Quantum Leap Crossover - Sam Beckett is at Winslow high
1. Part One

Four Corners  
A Boston Public/Quantum Leap Crossover  
  
  
Monday April 23, 2001  
  
The leap happened sooner than Sam had expected it. He had just finished saving some people from a burning hospital in 1965. It was the kind of death-defying thing he had been doing recently. Every leap he had been making lately, he had been closer to death than he would have wanted. His mission was dangerous in the first place, saving some people from a burning building, one that had the shoddiest construction since the high rise in the movie "The Towering Inferno". He could have easily died that time, he almost got burned in a short fall, and taken two people with him: himself and the fireman he had leaped into. Bobby Jones, a hard on his luck fire fighter who had only days left to his retirement. Now he had the biggest fire rescue ever on his record, and he could retire to his happy home. Samuel Beckett, Quantum Leaper by trade, however reluctantly, was not that lucky. Years ago, while working on a project that would have helped him leap into people throughout time and place, something went wrong. He had picked the wrong time to go through a test of his ambitious project. He got into the quantum leap accelerator, and vanished. He was not alone on his journey, however. He had a guide from his time, Al, a person only he could see and hear. Well not only him, there were times when either children, or the mentally unstable were able to see him. He helped him on his missions. Missions from god? Could be, something made him go into the tests early and something definately was helping him every step of the way. The rest was history. He had no idea how long he had been making his leaps, he stopped counting long ago.   
Sam remembered all this in the seconds he was leaping into his new person. He felt the energy surge around him as he finally finished entry. The person he displaced, as usual went to the "waiting room" in the future, where Al was ready and waiting to let the disorientated person, now in Sams body, know what was going on.  
  
Sam himself felt a little disorientation himself seconds after he entered the new person. Ever since his first leap, his memory has had a swiss cheese effect he had no short term memory at that moment. He looked around quickly. He felt water hitting him in the face. It was hot.  
"Ah!" Sam said reaching forward. He looked around the spray of water and searched for the cold water handle. He turned it, and the water cooled down a bit, but not much.  
"This is nice." Sam thought to himself as he grabbed some soap. "After that last leap, a long shower is just what the doctor ordered." He stuck his face into the water and let the water pour over him. He took the soap and lathered it up in his hand. He then took the lather and started to run it over his body. He started from the neck and ran his fingers down his body. The soap felt good. He almost was at mid-chest when he felt something weird. He felt the bumpy area of his chest. He took his head out of the shower long enough to look down.  
"Breasts?" He muttered. "Oh great, I'm a woman again." He thought to himself. He slightly opened the curtain. He looked over at the mirror that hung over the bathroom sink. He was definately a woman, with all the right parts in all the right places. He was a blond, as he could see in the reflection. It hung over his face in a lumpy wet mess.  
"Fine, a woman." He sighed. "I can handle that. I was a beauty contestant once." He closed the curtain. He was about to get back to finishing the shower, she probably had some sort of job to go to, he figured, when the door to the bathroom opened. Sam froze in his place. He listened carefully has he heard the sound of humming beside the shower. Clothes hit the floor.  
"Hello?" He asked, hearing his real voice for the first time. "Whos there?"  
"Who do you think?" The person answered. The shower curtain flew open. It was a man. Sam instinctively covered part of his body. He looked down, realizing he was covering the wrong part. He moved his hands up a bit.  
"Harry Senate, back scrubber at your service!" He said making a mock salute. He climbed in behind Sam. "Hope I'm not too late."  
"Oh boy..." Sam muttered his almost-trademark line.  
  
"Whats the matter?" Harry asked. "Lauren?"  
"Lauren, so thats my name." Sam thought. "Nothings the matter." He said.  
"I thought I would just take a quickie shower today." Sam explained.  
"Oh a quickie?" Harry said. "Why didnt you say so?" He tried to grab at Lauren.  
"Harry!" Sam said as his voice raised an octave,as he was afraid that he might be grabbing the wrong person. "Please!" He said. "Its going to be a long day."  
"All right. Spoil sport." Harry said climbing out. Sam noticed just then Harry still had his underwear on. "Just dont use all the hot water." He said.  
Sam sighed. Harry stuck his face through the shower curtain. "No kiss?"  
Sam slung soap foam at him. It hit him in the hair. "Okay." He said walking away.  
Sam turned closed the curtain. He saw a bright light as he heard something open and close beside him. He turned to look as he heard someone say. "Ohh wee. And me without a sponge."  
Sam jumped as he saw his friend, Al, standing in the shower.  
"Al, what are doing, you're gonna get wet...." Sam stopped himself. Al was a hologram. He couldnt get wet.  
"One of these days you'll remember." Al said.  
"What are you doing here Al?" Sam asked.  
"Besides admiring the view?" Al didnt see Sam, he saw Lauren. "Oh to be you for a day."  
"Al?" Sam asked impatiently. "I'm starting to prune up here."  
"So get out of the shower." Al said.  
Sam climbed over the edge of the tub. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around him. Al simply walked through the tub. He looked visibly disappointed when he saw Sam in the towel.  
"Whats my mission?" Sam asked.  
"We'll see." Al said holding a device up. It was a gadget that was linked up to the main computer. It told Al everything they needed to know, who Sam was in that leap and what he had to do. "Its not working!" He cursed and slapped it. "Damn it goochie." Goochie was responsible for the important info they needed.  
"Al..." Sam said as he heard Harrys footfalls by the door. "He's coming back."  
"Harry? Harry Senate." Al said looking at what he found out. "He's a teacher. You are Lauren Davis, also a teacher. You work at Winslow High. You're in Boston."  
"Great, tell me what I'm here for." Sam said as he found Laurens clothes. He pulled a bra on, feeling slightly ridiculous with it on. He then pulled on Laurens form fitting pants, and blue blouse. He fixed his hair, putting it up in a twist. He had been a woman so many times now, it was almost old hat. He turned and looked at Al, and realized he had been staring at her the whole time.  
"Al?" Sam whispered angrily as there was a knock at the door.  
"Oh yea, goochie is really on top of this. He can't tell you what you are here for, but from what he says here, it happens at school." Al said.  
"Great. That could be anything." Sam muttered as he impulsively cleaned the bathroom, picking up the towels. "Let's hope its nothing dangerous, I could deal with a nice safe leap for a change."  
"I'll come back later." Al said. "Meet me in the girls shower."  
"Why the girls shower?" Sam asked. Al tried to give him an answer but the doorway to the waiting closed before he had a chance. Harry came in the door.  
"Ready to go?" Harry asked. He was completely dressed this time. Harry tied his tie on. "Guess I didnt need the shower after all." He said patting his head."  
"I'm ready." Sam said.  
"I thought I heard you talking." Harry said.  
"You did?" Sam said. "You did. Uh another rat. Yeah. Rat."  
"Great. Well since its my place, anythings possible." Sam blinked at him. They must live together, he thought..  
"Want to stop by your place?" Harry asked. Sam sighed. Okay, so he was wrong.  
"No thanks. Let's get to school." Sam said.  
"All right. I'll get the car." Harry said as Sam picked up Laurens things.  
"A teacher." He thought. "Great. I can do that. I've done it a half a dozen times. What could happen at a school?" He asked himself. He looked out the window. "On such a lovely day?"  
  
Winslow High  
  
Dana Poole was entering the school from a back entrance. She was about to open the door when she was knocked aside by a boy in dark clothes.  
"Hey watch it, jackass." Dana muttered as she picked her books up. The boy gave her a withering look that actually scared her a bit. He then turned and went through the door, taking care not to hit his bag against the door. Dana shook her head and continued to pick up her things, completely ignoring that the bag the boy carried seemed to contain a gun.  
  
Eight O'Clock  
  
Harry looked at "Lauren" suspiciously as they walked around the school. He seemed concerned. They now sat in the teachers lounge drinking coffee and reading the paper. Sam, having had enough of Harry Senate staring at her, for any reason, decided to finally speak up.  
"What Harry?" He said.  
"Is there something the matter?" Harry asked. "Something you're not telling me?"  
"What?"  
"Is there something wrong?" He asked again.  
"Oh I don't know." Sam said. "Theres nothing wrong."  
"You usually let me hold your hand on the way into school. Today you swatted me off several times like a fly." Harry said. "To me that says somethings up. Come on, we always talk about everything."  
"Ask him, what about Tyronne?" Al said appearing at Sams side.  
"Its about time you came back." Sam muttered low under his breath. "What about Tyronne?" He said taking Als advice. "You didn't tell me everything about that!" Sam stopped. He had no idea what he as talking about. He swung his head to the side to make himself look like he was fixing Laurens hair. "I have no idea what I'm talking about." He muttered. Al gave him a sign, he would tell him later.  
"Lauren, you know I made a promise to Tyronne not to tell anyone what was going on." Harry said as he went to get some more coffee. "I thought we were done talking about this thing." Harry sighed.  
"Well obviously we're not." Lauren said as another man entered the room.  
"Okay." Al punched up his device. "This is Scott Guber. Vice principal."  
"Morning." Scott said getting his coffee.  
"Morning Scott." Lauren said.  
"Lauren, hi." Scott said to her. "How are you?" He said coming over to where Al was standing.  
"I don't know about you, but I get 'military background' from him." Al said.   
"Oh I'm great." Sam said. They looked at each other for a minute. Scott seemed fixated on something. Sam squirmed a little. What was he looking at? Sam knew it couldnt be his non-existant bustline, but thats not Scott saw. He looked down. "Oh geez." He had not buttoned his shirt all the way up to his neck. It was habit, he hadnt had anything to cover for a few leaps now. "I'm sorry. I must have been in a hurry dressing."  
"Well...." Scott stammered as he realized what Sam was talking about. "See that it don't happen again." He said quickly. He turned quickly and trhough Al and almost walked over Harry on his way out of the room. "Good day." He said quickly to Harry.  
"How come you didn't tell me my blouse was open?" Sam said to Harry who was now laughing. "I would tell you if your fly was open!"  
"I'm sorry, but that look on his face was classic. That would be a great plan. Everytime he gets mad at me, you flash him your breasts." Harry suggested.  
"And what about when I'm mad at you?" Sam asked.  
"Hmm. Good point." Harry said. "I think we'd have to sneak into Mr. Licks office for that."  
"He's not being weird, by the way, thats a real teachers name." Al said looking at his device. "This Harry has been very frisky lately."  
"Well, when I see who hes dating, I think I can understand." Sam said as Harry went back to his seat. Sam looked in the window and saw Laurens troubled face looking back at him. "What am I here for?" He whispered.  
"We still have no idea." Al said. "But I'll wager a guess we'll find out soon."  
Sam sighed and looked at Al. It had been a long time since they had dealt with a leap in which he had no idea what he was doing here.  
"I'm a teacher." Sam thought. "I've done it before. I'm sure once classes are over with, I'll find out my purpose." He heard the door open. "Morning Louisa." Harry said. Sam looked up. There was an attractive brownette at the door.  
"Morning Harry." Louisa said. "Lauren."  
"Hi." Sam weakly waved.  
"Steven wants to see you both, now." She said.  
"Steven..." Al said. "Steven Harper, principal."  
"All right." Harry said. Louisa left, leaving the door open. "What gives? I havent had a chance do anything wrong yet?"  
"Maybe he wants to nip your behavior in the bud." An older man said coming in. "It suits you right too, after all you did in this last year alone."  
"Harvey Lipschultz." Al said reading his device again. "We ought to go see that principal before I have to introduce any more teachers." He noted.  
"I'll meet you in the office." Sam said before Harry had a chance to think of a smart aleck quip for Harvey.  
"All right. Let me get some more coffee. I got a feeling it'll be a long visit."  
Sam went out the door, with Al close on his heels. "What did Harvey mean, after all he did this year?"  
"According to Gooshie, Harry got transfered to the classroom as known as the dungeon this year. The cream of the crap, so to speak. Badly behaved kids. One day he shot off a gun in class to get their attention. They were blanks, but no one was pleased. He kissed a student, covered up a students crime, and many other things."  
"A contender for man of the year, hes not." Sam deducted. Al nodded.  
"The office is that way." Al noted.  
Sam went to open the door but Harry beat him to it.  
"I can open my own door Harry." Sam said. Harrys eyebrow raised. "But you can get it this time." He added quickly saving his own butt.  
"Okay..." Harry said. Sam went inside, Harry eyed him from behind.  
  
Stevens office  
  
"Ah, Lauren and Harry. Sorry to keep you waiting." Steven said after leaving them to wait in his office for five minutes. Al had gone back to the waiting room to talk to the real Lauren. "I need a favor from you today Lauren."  
"What?" Sam asked.  
"I need you to sit in on Harrys class in the dungeon today." Steven said. "There is a transfer student in his class that we want to keep an eye on." He explained.  
"Transfer student?" Harry asked. "Why wasnt I told?"  
"Because I knew you wouldn't approve and that you would say something." Steven said. "It's only for one day."  
"One day?" Harry said. "You're not moving him permanently in my class are you?"  
"Hopefully not." Steven said. "They want to see how he acts in a different envrionment. They meaning the school he came from."  
"What about my class?" Sam asked.  
"You're just giving a test right?" Steven asked. Sam blanked out. How was he to know Laurens lesson plans? "As far as I know." He replied.  
"I'll watch your class for you." Steven said. "All right?"  
"Fine." Sam said.  
"Its almost time." Harry said. "Let's go." He said. "You know I always wanted to get you in my class." He said to Sam on the way out.  
  
The Dungeon  
  
Sam sat in front of the class on a stool. He sat up there very confortably, crossing and recrossing his legs so that nothing would show.  
"All right, wouldnt you say that most of American history, the major fights and even wars, took place over drinks?" Harry asked. "The Boston Tea Party was one of the incidents that brought on the American Revolution. Can anyone else think of a time when something to drink was the cause of major controversy?"  
The class raised their hands. Everyone started to talk, but Sam ignored most of it. Someone sitting next to a student all in black brought up prohibition. The student in black fidgeted a little bit. It was almost as if he didnt want to be seen, or for anyoone to see what he was doing. Sam scrutinized him. Harry looked at him.  
"What are you thoughts Lauren?" Harry asked him.  
"What?" Sam asked. "Oh yeah, what about Jim Jones?" He said. "He brought a whole cult of people to a faraway country and eventually killed them all with cool-aid."  
"Must have had Gubers recipe." One of the students cracked. Everyone laughed, and eventually Sam did too. He started to relax. Maybe nothing was gonna happen. Al appeared in the back of the room. Sam saw him but couldnt talk to him in front of everyone. Al waved frantically, but he couldn't hear what he wanted to tell him.  
Suddenly, the kid in black stood up. He dropped his bag on the floor. He had pulled a gun out of it. He pulled the hammer on the gun.  
"Nobody move!" The kid yelled. Everyone got up and ran out of the room. So much for not moving. The commotion confused the kid. He started to point the gun around the room looking for an easy target. He finally settled on one, Lauren.  
"Oh my god." Sam said, realizing he was in the line of fire.   
The kid moved his finger on the trigger. He started to pull back on it. Sam felt someone push him roughly aside. It was Harry. As he did this, there was a loud pop heard in the room. Harry felt himself fall back, hit by the bullet. The kid dropped the gun and ran from the room. He was shortly tackled in the doorway by a couple of security guards and Scott. Harry crumpled to the ground. Sam caught him befoer he hit the ground.  
"Oh my god. Harry." Sam said. He moved Harrys shirt to look at the wound. He could see the bullet hole, but there was no blood. Sam brought his/her hand from behind Harrys back, and saw that it was covered in thick red blood. "Oh my god."  
"No worries, Lauren." Harry said slowly, some blood coming out of his mouth. "It doesnt even hurt anymore...." His words trailed off. He was unable to talk anymore. Sam looked at Harry laying in Laurens/his arms. He stared blankly at him. He stopped breathing.  
"Oh my god." Sam said. "I've failed." He felt the familiar energy form around him. "I failed, but why am I leaping?" He asked himself. He left Laurens body. Lauren quickly returned to her own body. "Oh my god, Harry, whats going on?" She said tears pouring down her face. "Please answer me, Harry....Harry!!!"  
Scott and Steven stood in back of her.  
"She's in shock." Scott said. "She doesnt even know what happened."  
  
Monday April 23, 2001  
  
Sam completed his leap. He was lying down in bed. He got up and briefly ran his hands over his body. He was a man again. He looked up in the mirror. A familiar visage looked at him.  
"Oh boy...not again..." He said.  
  
to be continued...  



	2. Part Two

Four Corners  
A Boston Public/Quantum Leap Crossover  
  
He was not only a man again, he was Harry Senate, a man who Sam had thought was just shot down in a classroom by a creepy looking student. Sam went to the mirror and looked himself over again. He didnt look any different  
than yesterday when he saw Harry, as Lauren anyway. He didnt feel any different. Flashes of what happened  
flashed through his mind. Al in the back of the room, desperately trying to warn him. The student rising out of his seat, with gun in hand. The other students racing out of the room in utter fear and total disreguard for anyone elses safety, what if he had shot one of them?  
Harry turned when he thought he heard the water stop in the bathroom. He turned and saw the door opening. Lauren, he had completely forgotten about her. Lauren came over dressed in a towel and kissed "Harry" on the cheek.  
"It's about time you got up, I was afraid I might have to hi-jack a school bus to get to work." She said giving him a hug. Sam had no idea what to do, he hugged her back tightly.  
"I could have slept in? I think I just robbed you some face time with some of your favorite students." Sam said, trying to be the best "Harry" he could be.  
He saw a light behind Lauren. Harry pulled Lauren close and hugged her again. He looked over his shoulder. Al had come in the room.  
"Whaoh, tiger, should I come back at another time?" He asked giving a suggetive waggle to his eyebrows.  
"No." Sam mouthed. "Lauren, would you like to get some stuff at your place today?"  
"Sure. I left a dress there I wanted to wear on our date tonight." Lauren said.  
"Date?" Sam asked.  
"Your favorite band is in town, remember? Kevin got tickets for us both."  
"Oh yeah, that." Sam said. The date must have been planned for that day, but due to what happened, it obviously didn't go as planned. "I can hardly wait."  
"I'll go get dressed." Lauren said. "Don't leave without me." She teased.  
"Wouldnt dream of it doll." Sam smiled.  
"Oh please don't leave!" Al said smoking his cigar. "Please!" Al followed Lauren into another room. She closed the door, but since Al was a hologram he could walk right through it. "Oh mama." Sam could hear him saying.  
"Al." Sam said.  
"What did you say Harry?" Lauren called.  
"Uh, Allll we are saying, lets give peace a chance." Sam sang out loud.  
"Harry..." Lauren said looking out the door. "I like you a lot, but don't quit your day job."  
  
After a minute or so Al reluctantly came out of the room. He sighed and looked at Al.  
"There are times I wish I could change places with you." Al said. He thought. "We did once, though."  
"I know." Sam whispered. He went to the sink and turned the water on. He got a glass. "Al, whats going on?"  
"What do you mean?" Al asked.  
"Do you feel a little de ja vu?"  
"Its a little early for something like that isnt it?" Al asked. "Not that I'd mind..."  
"No, no." Sam said. "Don't you feel like you've been here before? Don't you feel like this apartment is familiar?"  
"Hmmm." Al said looking at his device. "According to this you leapt yesterday just after eight o'clock." He looked at it again. "Eight O'clock...today I mean."  
"Wait." Sam said filling his glass. "If I leapt, I should be elsewhere. Why did I leap anyway? I failed. I got Harry, me, shot."  
"Beats me." Al said. "Whoever is leaping you around, must think you need a second chance to get yesterday, today, right." He sighed. "This is way too much for me. A little confusing." He opened his portal back to the lab. "I will come back after I've had alittle rest...a gallon of aspirin."  
"Wait Al, when should I see you again?" Sam hissed as he heard Lauren finish.  
"Meet me in the girls locker room." Al said.  
"Why there?" Sam asked.  
"Do you really have to ask?" Al said. "Morning gym class."  
"I'm a guy again, Al, meet me in the guys locker room." Sam said as Al went through the portal.  
"All right, spoil sport." Al said closing the portal door.   
Sam sighed. Knowing Al, he would sneak into the girls lockeroom anyway.  
"Are you ready Harry?" He heard a voice. "Geez, you havent even gotten dressed yet!" Lauren said exasperatedly. Sam looked down he was still in his boxer shorts.  
"Oh, man, am I sorry." Sam said. Lauren shook her head. "Or at least I will be."  
"Hurry up. We'll have to stop by my place later." Lauren said as she sat on the bed. Sam got a grey shirt and dark colored slacks out of the bureau. He tugged them on, and grabbed a tie out of the closet. Lauren got up and helped him with it. "We're gonna be late."  
"Can't we be a little late?" Sam said teasingly. If they show up late for the class, he figured, then no one would get shot. He would leap, life would go on.  
"Oh come on." Lauren said. "I have to give a test today. Let's go."  
"All right." Sam sighed. "Would have been fun. Being truant and all."  
"Maybe later." Lauren promised. "I got a feeling today is gonna be interesting." She went to the door. Sam slowly followed.  
"You have no idea." Sam thought as he closed the door.  
  
Winslow High  
  
Dana Poole was entering the school from a back entrance. She was about to open the door when she was knocked aside by a boy in dark clothes.  
"Hey watch it, jackass." Dana muttered as she picked her books up. The boy gave her a withering look that actually scared her a bit. He then turned and went through the door, taking care not to hit his bag against the door. Dana shook her head and continued to pick up her things, completely ignoring that the bag the boy carried seemed to contain a gun.  
  
Dana sat on the ground for a minute. She seemed to have the strangest feeling she had been there before. That same place and time. The same jerky kid. The same strange backpack. She shook her head. It can't be.  
Maybe someone should say something to someone. She mused as she got up.  
"Hey, Dana, come on! We'll be late!" She heard one of her friends call to her.  
"Coming!" Dana called. "Someone else must have seen that funny student. They'll talk to Guber and Harper. No skin off my nose."  
  
8:00 A.M.  
  
"I could use some coffee." Sam said as he tried to hold Laurens hand on the way in. She waved it away. "What? I said I was sorry I took so long." Lauren looked at him again. "What did I do?"  
"If you gotta ask..." Lauren sighed.  
"Should have I taken a shower?" He tried.  
"I just really wanted you to see that dress." Lauren finally replied. "Thats all."  
"We'll see it after school." Sam said. "If we're lucky, you won't have to wear it too long."  
"Hmmm." Lauren said. "Intresting idea."  
"How bout that coffee?" Sam asked.  
"All right." Lauren said.  
They passed in front of the office. Louisa came out of the door.  
"Harry, Lauren. Glad I caught you." She said.  
"Aww and we were so close to coffee!" Sam moaned.  
"You can have coffee, after Steven talks to you." Louisa said. "He has something to tell you."  
"All right." Sam said. "Lets go."  
  
Stevens office  
  
The whole spiel was familiar, Sam thought, except the roles were different.  
"A transfer student is coming to the school." Steven said. "I'm putting him in Harrys class. I need you Lauren, to keep an eye on him."  
"Why?" Lauren asked. "I have a test today. The students worked very hard for this test today."  
"I'll give the test." Steven said. "You wouldnt do anything but sit at your desk and made sure no one leapt up and left."  
"Great." Lauren said.  
"You havent said anything Harry." Steven said.  
"I've always wanted Lauren in the same class as I." He said remembering what the real Harry said. "Todays your lucky day."  
"I'm thrilled." Lauren scoffed. She was still miffed about being shuffled from class to class like a token on a game board.  
"Me too." Steven said flatly. "Its almost time for your class. Louisa said you wanted coffee?"  
"It'll have to wait, Harry, with it being so close to our time." Lauren said.  
What Lauren said struck a chord with Harry. That IS my mission! To stop the shooting from happening. The way it seemed to be going, it might happen again. He had to stop it. He suddenly thought Stevens idea to put Lauren in the class with him and a potential psycho as a terrible plan.  
Sam and Lauren left the classroom. Sam opened the office door. He could feel Scott Gubers gaze on him as he went through the door. A plan formed in Sams mind.  
"I'll go to class." Sam said. "I think I left something in the car on the way in. Can you run get it?" He asked Lauren.  
"Why?" Lauren asked.  
"I have to be there. You're just an observer, you can be a few minutes later." Sam said.  
"All right." Lauren said. Sam gave her the keys to Harrys car. "But I'll hurry back."  
Before Sam could protest Lauren headed to one of the side exits and bounded down the stairs.  
"Good. Laurens safe. Now to go to class. I sure I hope I know what I'm doing." He moaned.  
  
Harrys class was called the Dungeon. He could see that the "other" day he was there. Sam quickly looked through his lessons plans. Sure enough there was the plans for the day on his desk. He recalled him talking to the class about how drinks affected the history of america. Specifically how drinks caused small battles and lead to the american revolution. He sighed. A whole hour on this? Surely he had something else to talk about. He would have to play it by ear, he supposed. The class filed in. Everyone started to take their seats as second bell rang. Sam looked up and saw the mysterious transfer student taking his seat. He was the one who shot the gun yesterday. How can he expose him without causing another catatrophe like yesterday? Sam rubbed his chin. A diversion would have to be in order, plus throwing Harrys so called lesson for today out the window.  
"So anyone heard any good jokes?" Sam asked. The class looked at him silently. "Guess I'll stick to my day job.   
I'm gonna do something today. Since we're in different times then when I used to go to school, I thought I might teach you a little self defense today."  
"Like Harper taught that geeky student?" One girl asked.  
He had no idea what she meant, but everyone else did.  
"Exactly." Sam replied.  
"But didnt he get his ass in trouble for that?" Another replied.  
"Yeah, but he's still here." The first girl said.  
"Okay." Sam said. "Let's start with a simple frisking."  
The class went "ooooh."  
"You can frisk me, Mr Senate. I aint wearing a bra today." A full figured gal in the front of the class called out.  
"I'm sure I'm not the only one who noticed that today." Sam said. "Okay, you." He picked a student who sat in front of the student in black. It was a hispanic male.  
"Fine, just don't get too fresh with me, I aint like that." He said getting up. The student in back of him seemed to fidget a little bit. Sam quickly glanced at him them slowly patted the pockets down of the other student he had before him.  
"All right, you're done." Sam said.  
"Thats it?" He said. "Man, there are cops that are more thorough than you."  
"What makes you think I was looking for something?" Sam asked he moved down the aisle. He passed the student in black. He finally couldnt take anymore and popped out of his seat. He pulled his gun at pointed it at Sam. "Don't move!" He shouted.  
"No one move!" Sam said, making sure no one bolted from the room like last time.  
"I'm not loco, ese!" The hispanic student said.  
"I want to get out of here!" The student said.  
"Whats your name?" Sam asked.  
"My name don't matter."  
"Whats your name?" Sam asked again. "There is no way we can't be civilized about this."  
"Piss on your civilized!" He said. "I want a car, and some money. I want to get out of here. Once I'm gone I want no cops following me! You hear me?" He said with his hand shaking. Sam inched forward, it could go off at any minute with the way it was shaking. "Don't come any closer. I'm warning you." He said clicking the hammer back. "I WILL use this!!!"  
The door shut behind him. "Harry I couldnt find what you wanted." Lauren said. "But I got your lunch." She froze when she saw the man with the gun. Remembering the encounter with the student during the lockdown of the school. She could feel her breath escaping her body. She couldnt speak. She squeaked.  
"I told you, don't make me use this!" He said aiming the gun at Lauren. Her eyes widened. He had to make a move now, Same knew. If he didn't the student would gladly blow Lauren away with no regrets.  
Sam tackled the student from behind. He raised the gun hand up in the air. The student, startled by Sams actions, pulled the trigger. The gun fired. The students, seeing that "Harry" had somewhat had the student in his grip, ran out the door. The bullet hit one of the track lighting over his class room. It shattered and broke. Glass rained down over a section of now empty desks. Sam pushed the student forward. The action knocked the gun out of his hand. It slid under a desk. Sam brought the student to the floor and put a knee in his back.  
"I didn't want to use that either." Sam said as the student squirmed. Scott and a couple of security guards came in and acquired the student. He was cuffed and led to the door. The guards brought him out. Scott stayed behind. Sam picked the gun up.  
"Are you two all right?" Scott asked.  
"We're fine." Lauren said. "Just another day, right?"  
Scott nodded. He went to the door.  
Sam had the gun. Lauren looked at him. "Be careful with that. It could still have bullets in it." Lauren said as she approached him.  
"Great." Sam said. He decided to put the safety on. He held it in front of him. He looked for the safety as he marveled about it. Then he thought for a second, "Why havent I leapt yet?" He asked himself. He then returned to the gun, and flicked what he thought was the safety.  
The gun went off. The sound of it shocked Sam. It was a loud pop, but louder since it was closer to his ears. He had closed his eyes automatically when he felt it go off. He then opened his eyes. He heard something he didn't want to hear. He looked at Lauren. She had a stunned expression on her face. She looked down at her blouse. There was a large spot of blood in the middle of her chest, and it was getting larger. Scott came back into the room.  
"Oh my god." Sam said. He had hit the wrong lever on it and the gun had gone off. He dropped the gun and went to Lauren as she fell to the ground. He caught her.  
"Oh my god." Sam said. "I am so sorry. I had no idea."  
"It's okay, Harry." She said. "I'm not really hurt. We can still go dancing tonight."  
"We'll go dancing." Sam said. "We'll dance forever and ever, even after our tired get to tired to stand on." He said feeling tears coming to his eyes. He hadnt known Lauren long, but he was already feeling her loss.  
"I'll put you on my dance card." Lauren said. "You better honor it..." Her voice died. She could no longer  
talk. She gurgled a little bit, some blood now appearing on her lips. Sam wiped her lips free of the blood. He lightly kissed her as he felt himself leaping. Sam was soon gone and Harry was back in his place. Harry looked at Lauren. Tears quickly came to his face as he finally understood what happened. "Goodbye Lauren." He whispered. He brought her closer to him and held her tight. "Goodbye."  
  
Monday April 23, 2001  
  
Sam completed his leap. He was lying down in bed. He got up and briefly ran his hands over his body. He was a man again. He looked up in the mirror. A familiar visage looked at him. He wasnt the same person, but it was the same day. A new place greeted him. But as he looked at a calender on the wall, he realized what happened.  
"Oh boy...now what?..." He asked.  
  
to be continued... 


	3. Part Three

Four Corners  
A Boston Public/Quantum Leap Crossover  
  
Sam went to the mirror and examined his new face. He seemed a little shorter than Harry Senate was but a little taller than Lauren Davis was. His reflection wore a serious expression, and very short hair. A military cut, Sam decided. The man he saw was familiar, yet not familiar at the same time. He was...  
"Scott Guber." Sam heard someone say. He turned to find Al standing behind him with his device. "Today you are Scott Guber."  
"I'm living Monday the 23rd again?" Sam asked.  
"Looks like it. Its probably already established, but it looks like your mission all along was to stop the shooting." He said.  
"But I didnt, yet I leapt anyway." Sam said. "Twice."  
"Maybe someone wants you to get it right, the first time." Al suggested. "Well the third time, I guess. Could be the charm?"  
"I sure hope so." Sam said looking at his reflection again. He was wearing grey colored pajamas. "I'm gonna run out of people to leap into at this school." He briefly ran his fingers over "his" hair. "What time is it?"  
"Six." Al said. "This guy gets up early."  
"He has to be, hes the number two man in the entire school." Sam said. "I better get dressed." He went to Scotts closet. "Geez, does Brooks Brothers send this guy free clothes?" He said looking over the closet. "What a variety, and they all seem to be the same color. I had no idea there were so many diffrent shades of brown."  
"Get dressed. If we get to the school early we might be able to derail this whole thing from happening." Al said. "We could have this transfer student sent elsewhere." He offered.  
"Thats an idea." Sam said. "But what do we do if we can't?" He asked. "What if this was arranged yesterday."  
"That would be strange, considering the teachers find out for the first time today." Al said. "Its Monday, it would have been something arranged on Friday, and the teachers would have found out over the weekend."  
"Unless..." Sam said putting on on of Scotts shirts. "...it was a last minute arrangement, and the only place they could put him was in the dungeon. With Harry and Lauren." He buttoned the shirt to the top, but then opened two of them.  
"Redo those buttons." Al said. "Scott seems to wear them buttoned all the way to the top."  
"No way, its gagging me. He must have a different size neck, cause its really uncomfortable." Sam said redoing the buttons. "Wonderful, and if I remember right, it was a warm day today." He put on a tie, and threw on a jacket. "I'm ready to go." He got Scotts briefcase and headed for the door.  
"I don't think so." Al said. "I think assistant principals wear pants nowadays."  
Sam looked down. He was clad in boxer shorts from the waist down. He could see his reflection in another mirror. Scott had knobby knees. It was slightly cold in the room.  
"Right." Sam said. "Pants."  
  
Dana Poole rolled over in her sleep. She looked at the clock. Six Thirty. Almost time to get up. She moaned as she rolled back over. "I can sleep in a little bit today." She thought. "I wont be in that place any longer, then I can sleep as long as I want, when I want."  
But something bugged her. She sat up in her bed and looked around. She saw her calendar, April 23. There was something about that date that bugged her. She thought about it for a while she got up to go to the bathroom. There was something so familiar about this day. It was almost as she lived it before. She splashed some water on her face and looked at herself. She felt so tired, maybe she should go back to sleep like wanted to.  
"No." Something inside told her. "You can't go back to sleep, Dana. You have to go. You can stop it."  
Stop it? She wondered to herself. Stop what? She left the bathroom in a virtual daze. She went into her bedroom and got dressed. Maybe I'll listen to that inner voice for a change, she thought. If I go to school, maybe then I will find out whats going on, and why I feel the way I do.  
Dana dressed in her favorite blue sweater, the one that was low cut, and her black slacks. The sweater was the one she knew Harry used to like on her, she knew. That was before she got with that nunnie Lauren. What was so damn great about her anyway? She seemed so boring.  
Dana grabbed her bookbag and went out the door.   
  
7:50 a.m. Winslow High  
  
Sam tried to get there as fast as he could, but a strange auto accident on the freeway prevented him from getting to the high school any faster. A cattle truck tipped over at the same time as a hay cart. It was a nightmare trying to get the cattle to stop eating the hay, and back onto their truck. Al was already at the school, but he didnt have to drive to the school. Plus he didnt have strange cows looking at him through his windshield. As if Sam was in the way of their free dinner and not the other way around. Sam went up the front steps of the high school. On the way up he saw a pretty blonde woman going up beside him. He looked at her, and she at him. She looked like she was about to say something when they heard a hissing sound behind them. A school bus had pulled up and a teacher and a student got off of it. The hissing sound came when the doors opened. The doors closed after the two disembarked. The bus remained at the curb while the teacher walked up to Sam. The teacher had words with the student and the student nodded went up past the blond girl, almost knocking her over.  
"Hey watch it!" She said as she stumbled back. Sam reached out and grabbed her as she fell, preventing her from falling to the ground. She looked up at Sam.  
"Uh, yeah, thanks Guber." She said.  
"You're welcome, uh..." He blanked out. Al wasnt there to tell him her name.  
"Dana, Dana Poole?" She said. "Let me go. Your second of being a hero is over."  
"Right." Sam said as he let her go. Dana grabbed her book bag, which fell from her hands as she had fallen, off of the ground. Dana went to go up the stairs to the front door of the school, but she stopped as she reached the door. She turned back and looked at Sam who was now apprpoached by the teacher that came with the student. She shook her head and went inside.  
  
"Scott Guber? I'm Eugene Gibson." The teacher, a black male with an obvious toupee, talked to Sam now. He extended his hand to him. Sam took it and shook it.  
"Yes?" He answered.  
"I sent Antonio Garpaccia to the Princpal Harpers office." He said.  
"Who?" Sam answered.  
"Antonio Garpaccia." Eugene said. "We arranged this at the last minute, so I guess you don't know. This student is a troublemaker, but no one has ever caught him. He has been under suspicion numberous times of having a handgun on his person." He explained. "I arranged with Steven Harper to have him placed in one of your classes, to see if he acts different in a another environment." He finished. "It's only for today. Hopefully that will be all we need."  
"Okay." Sam said. "Thank you for notifying me." He said to him. He went up the stairs to the school quickly, leaving the other teacher on the steps.  
"My pleasure." He muttered.  
  
Ten minutes later  
  
Sam knew that Louisa would send for Harry and Lauren now. He decided to take it upon himself to be in the office when Steven announced whos class this Antonio Garpaccia was going to be in.  
  
Sam knocked on Stevens door.  
"Come in." Steven said as he ran an electric shaver over his face. "You don't happen to have any triple a batteries do you?" He asked.  
"No, sorry." Sam said.  
"I keep meaning to get those reuseable ones, but who has time to wait for them to charge?" He asked. "What can I do you for?"  
"Well its about the temporary transfer student." He said. "I have a suggestion..." He started to say as teh door opened.  
"I got Harry and Lauren for you." Louisa said as Harry and Lauren stepped inside.  
"What can we do for you, pops?" Harry asked as he sat down. "Hey Scott."  
"Morning." Sam said. "Lauren."  
"So whats this all about, we both have classes." Harry said setting his feet on Stevens desk.  
Steven got up, brushed Harrys feet off the desk with one quick motion, then sat back down. "We have a transfer student today." He said. "From another school."  
"So?" Harry said munching on a donut he had carried in. Sam thought for a moment. Scott is stickler for rules, it would be nice for him to do something here. He reached forward and took Harrys donut and dumped it in the trash.  
"Hey, Scott, that was wildly unneccessary." Harry muttered as he finished swallowing his mouthful of donut.  
"Go on." Sam urged.  
"The student, Antonio Garpaccia, will be in Harrys class today. I need someone to watch him for today, to make sure he doesnt do anything stupid." Steven explained.  
"So what does that have to do with me?" Lauren asked.  
"I want you to be in the class today." Steven responded.  
"What? No?" She said. "I have a test to give today." She said. "It leads up to the final exams."  
"I'll give the test...." Steven offered.  
"No." Sam said abruptly. "I will be in Harrys class."  
"Scott?" Steven looked at him questionably.  
"Lauren should give her test." Sam said. "I'll sit with the class. After all, I know what student to look for."  
He said looking down his nose, in a classic Scott way.  
"Okay." Lauren said. "I'm the last person to say this, but I agree with Scott."  
"Me too." Steven said. "He knows who to look for. Scott, his class starts in a few minutes."  
"Right." Sam said. He went to the office door and went out. He heard Harry moaning behind him.  
"Ah man, you get a test, and I get funboy." He said.  
Sam went out of his office and looked up and down the hallway. He heard something open and close beside him.  
"Scotts office is down that way, to the right." Al said to him as the same woman from before passed him.  
"Dana Poole. Smart ass extraordinaire." Al said. "Nice ass..." He said going after her.  
"Al." Sam sneezed out his name. Al turned to him and Sam went to Scotts office. After checking that no one was n it, he closed the door.  
"I think I did it this time, I arranged it so that Scott is observing the class." Sam said.  
"We've gotten some more info." Al said. "This may not be you mission after all."  
"What?" Sam. "What would it be then?"  
"According to goochie, it is seventy five percent sure that you are here to...."  
"Tell me later, I am gonna be late to class." Sam said. He went out the door before Al could stop him.  
"Oh no, hes gonna do it again. And he has no idea who is shot this time." Al said as he watched Sam go.  
  
The Dungeon  
  
Sam got there shortly before the other students did. Harry was erasing a homework assignment off the board.  
"Hello Scott." Harry said. "Do me a favor, try not to suck, ok?"  
"Do me a favor Mr Senate, refrain from the smart ass comments and I will refrain from suspending you for a week." Sam said.  
"A week? Childs play." Harry muttered as he opened his lesson plans. Sam glared at him. "Okay, scouts honor."  
"What is in your lesson plans for today?" Sam asked as casually as he could while the students started to file in. He kept an eye out for Antonio. He was the next to last student in. He sat in the middle seat, the same seat that he chose the last two days, Sam remembered.  
"Hello? Scott?" Harry asked. "Are you listening? Its so like you to ask a question and NOT listen to the response."  
"I apologize." He said. "What were you saying?"  
"We are doing a series on the lesser known possible causes to conflicts and wars. Today we focus on food and drinks." Harry said. "And I warn you, I DO reserve the right to call on you today, ok?"  
"All right." Sam said. "Sounds interesting."  
"Uh huh." Harry scoffed. "All right, may I have your attention please. We have a special guest today."  
A hand was raised. "If its anyone besides Guber, I'll be glad to meet them!" A girl in front said.  
"It is Guber, in fact." There was a moan heard in the class. "But don't worry, he will practice being seen and not heard."  
The class still wasnt happy. Scott wasnt real popular, Sam gathered. But then when was someone in charge popular?  
Harry started to talk about about his chose topic. Sam decided to start circling the room. His chosen area was two rows away from Antonio. He went in back of him. Antonio was starting to fidget in his seat. His hands were moving in his bag. Sam moved in back of him to get a better view. He was holding something black in his hand. He appeared to be loading something into it. Sam squinted. Bullets. They were bullets.  
"So what do you think Mr Guber?" Harry called to him. "Do you think the civil war was caused by a lack of a good moonshine?" He asked.   
Antonio turned in his seat and looked at Sam. He knew Sam was looking at his bag. He stood quickly and pulled the gun out of it and aimed it at him.  
"Don't do anything smart," He said. "it would be your last."  
"Antonio." Sam said. "There is no need to do this. There must be something we can work out here."  
"Nothing to work out." Antonio said. "No deal, I want out of here. And you can get me that."  
"How can we help?" Sam asked.  
"A car, some cash. No cops following me out of town. No cops at all." Antonio said.  
"We can do that." Sam said. Sam looked over Antonio's shoulder, and saw Harry creeping up behind him. "No, I can't have him shoot Harry again."  
Antonio looked behind him. He was about to turn and aim the gun at Harry. Sam made his move. He grabbed the gun and tried to get it out of his hand. Antonio turned his head back at Sam and tried to hold on tight to the gun. They started to wrestled for it. After a minute of pulling and grabbing they went to the floor. Sam had just about pulled the gun away when a loud pop was heard. Antonio pulled away, letting go of the gun, which fell to the floor. As it hit the floor it went off again, shooting a bullet into a far wall. The students ran out the door. Sam looked down at the gun, then down at himself. He had shot himself with the gun. Even though he wasnt really Scott, he could still feel the pain of having something being shot into you. He could see blood oozing from his wound. From his past medical experience, that you had to put pressure on it. He brought his hands to his stomach, where the bullet had entered. He looked up at Harry, who had genuine worry in his eyes. He may not have liked Scott, but its a different thing to have someone die on you.  
"Hold on Scott, help is coming. Hold on Scott..." He heard Harry saying to him. Sam felt himself growing weak. Would he ever leap? He soon felt the familiar sensation that he felt when he leapt. Soon after he leapt, help came for Scott.  
"Whats happening?" Scott asked.  
"You've been shot." Harry said, now joined by Steven.  
"Shot? How?" Scott asked.  
"He's in shock, he has no idea what happened." A paramedic said as he led Scott to a stretcher.  
  
  
Monday April 23, 2001  
  
Sam completed his leap. Once again he was lying down in bed, covered by sheets. He sat up and looked in the mirror. He had leaped again. Maybe a whole day? He looked at a clock beside his bed. Six O'clock. A small calendar next to it read April 23, 2001. He fell back into the bed. He felt a light bouncing on his chest as he fell, he was a woman again. But who?  
"How much longer can this go on?" He asked.  
  
to be concluded...  



	4. Part Four

Four Corners  
A Boston Public/Quantum Leap Crossover  
  
Sam sat up in the bed. He looked around at his new surroundings. He seemed to be in a bedroom. A girls bedroom he could tell by the decorations in it. Plus there was a pile of clothing on a small bureau. He got up and went to the bathroom and splashed som water on his face. Or did he mean "her" face. Today he was a girl, and the girl was familiar.  
"Dana Poole." Sam said to himself. "The blonde girl I stopped from falling down in front of the school. He dried his face off and started to undress. He heard Al enter through his portal.  
"I got here in time, the show's about to start." He heard him say. He reminded himself once again that Al didnt see "Sam" but whoever he had leapt into at the time. In Al's opinion Sam had leapt into his second "hottie" as they call them in three days.  
"I'm Dana Poole today." Sam said.  
"I know. Oh boy do I know!" Al replied.  
"I don't know if you get pervier everytime we meet, or if its just me."  
"I'm a guy. So shoot me." He said sucking his cigar. "Ohh, bad choice of words."  
"Was that what you were trying to tell me yesterday? That I was gonna get shot?" Sam asked.  
"That AND a new piece of info on why you might be here." Al said.  
"You mean I'm not here to stop the shooting?" Sam asked incredulously. "The shooting is a coincidence? I don't believe that. I don't believe they would put me here on the same day as a shooting, now four days in a row, and then tell me its not my real mission. That it is something a lot smaller and not as affecting as a murder in a high school." Sam shook his head. "Tell me this new info. It might be the lead we need to get out of here. Soon enough we'll run out of people to be."  
"Could be worse, you could leap into Antonio Garpaccia." Al said.  
"Then I could stop the shooting by not shooting anyone at all." Sam said. "Novel idea, why hasnt that happened yet?"  
"Beats me." Al said. "I'll tell you more in a bit. You are gonna be late to school young lady."  
"Yeah, its getting late, maybe I will take a shower." He said starting the water. He moved to take his top off. He paused. "Get out Al, no free show for you today. Come back when you have a ticket."  
"You're such a killjoy." Al said. "I'll be back in ten minutes whether you are done or not. Oh by the way Sam?"  
"Yeah?" Sam said as Al started to leave.  
"Just a hint on what my info might be about. This leap seems to have four corners. Four sides, you have been three different people...the same day,yet at the end of each leap, all three people that you have been have been at the scene of the shooting. They were all in Harry Senates room whenever someone got shot." Al said.  
"Harrys there, Laurens there." He said counting off. "Scott is there." Sam said continuing. "Danas not there."  
"Yeah, but why not Dana?" Al said.  
"I think Dana saw the gun in Antonio Garpaccia's bag and never got a chance to tell anyone. Why? Where did she go?" Sam asked.  
He went out of the bathroom, and into what was considered the living room in Danas spacious studio apartment. Sam sat down at a table.  
"Theres something connecting Dana to that. Why isnt she there?" He asked himself. He then looked at a sheet of paper. A transfer notice. "Al did you ever see anything about Dana switching classes?"  
Al checked into his device. "According to this Dana had some extra credits she wanted to get before she graduated. The class she needs is history, or something. Its not clear here. She was transferring into..."  
"...Harry Senates class." Sam said. "And on each occassion Dana never showed up for class. I wonder why."   
  
Harry Senates Place  
  
Harry had a hard choice to make. He was about to tell Lauren they were on the verge of breaking up but he didnt know whether to do it before school or after school. He put his books into a small bag and went to wait for her to finish dressing.  
"Whats going on today?" He heard her ask. "You seem a little jumpy. I put my hand on your shoulder and you jumped twenty feet."  
"I got a transfer student coming into my class." He said.  
"Who?" Lauren asked.  
"Dana Poole." He said. She finished buttoning her blouse staring straight ahead. "I guess she has some credits she has to pick up before she graduates." He said with an uneasy laugh. "Strange world, isnt it?"  
"Strange." Lauren said. "Indeed."  
They looked at each other for a minute. "I'll go get the car." Harry said.  
"What?" She said startled out of her own thoughts. "I'll be right with you."  
He smiled at her and went out the door. Lauren grabbed her things. She was going to go to her place to pick up a dress she wanted to wear to a concert they had special tickets to, but she didnt want to anymore. Whats more, she had a feeling she and Harry wouldnt make it to that concert.  
"Harry wants to break up with me." She thought. "And its no coincidence that Dana Poole is entering his class all of a sudden. There must be something there." She heard Harry honk his horn. "I gotta find out. But to do that theres something I gotta do." She went through the door and down the stairs. "And if I'm gonna do it, I gotta do it before Harrys class starts."  
  
7:45 Winslow High   
  
It took some time to dress, Sam realized. Almost every single outfit Dana owned was lowcut and tight as all heck. It was also hard to have Al in the room ogling him, as if he the lone customer in a strip joint. It was funny that Sam had the thought about a strip joint, Al soon notified him that it was rumored that Dana made extra cash there during her free periods. Today she was gonna have to be late for work. Sam didnt intend on leaving the school.  
Als information on Danas life helped understand one students cat call. "I'll be right back honey! I need a stack of ones!"  
"How rude." Sam said.  
"Really. I'll go kick his butt." Al offered. A strange protective side came out in Al whenever Same became a woman. It was almost a ying yang affect to whenever Al became too pervy for his own good.  
"You can't do that." Sam said. "Though it would be fun to watch."  
Sam felt someone standing behind him. It was Harry.  
"Hi Harry." Sam said. "Whats new?"  
"This is." He said showing a copy of something. "Why are you transfering to my class when you can pick up your extra credit in someone elses class?" He asked. What he was holding was a copy of the same class transfer paper that Dana had at her place.  
Sam thought. He suddenly realized that he had no idea how Dana acted. I guess I have to wing it. I've done it so many times before.  
"Well you know me Harry." Sam said. "Keep your friends close, your enemies closer."  
"What does a quote from the Godfather movie have to do with this?" Harry asked.  
"I don't know, Harry, you tell me." Sam said. "See you in class." He turned and walked away, slightly stumbling in Danas heels. He recovered quickly and walked around the corner. He almost ran into Scott Guber.  
"Morning Mr Guber." Sam said.  
"Morning Ms Poole." Scott said. "I trust you are having a good morning."  
"It's all right." Sam said.  
"Then maybe once we get over this small wardrobe problem, it will be better." Scott said. "You didnt button your top all the way up." He said pointing it out without actually doing so.  
"So thats what you're looking at." Sam said shifting his load while be finished the last button. "I had no idea."  
"No idea what?" Scott asked.  
"Never mind." Sam said. "If you don't know you never will." He said and walked around the vice principal. "Good day."  
"Good day." Scott said and went into his office.  
"Al wheres my locker?" Sam muttered as he walked along the hallway of lockers.  
"238." Al said. "Heads up."  
Sam looked to his side as Lauren and Harry went to the principals office. "I wonder what Steven wants." Lauren said. "I have a class."  
"The ball is already in motion." Sam said. "What do I do?" He muttered.  
"Theres nothing you can do. Unless you care to take another bullet." Al said smoking his stogie.  
Sam looked up. "Thats it." He said. "Thats the answer."  
"What?" Al asked.  
"Let's go in the girls bathroom." He said.  
"All right!" Al said. They walked into a girls bathroom. He put Danas books down. After Sam checked to see if it was empty, he started again.  
"So far Antonio has shot the gun no matter who or what tries to stop him, so why not prepare for it?" He asked Al.  
"How would you do that?" Al asked.  
"Get him to shoot me, only this time, it won't hurt me." He said. "Theres gotta be something around here I can stick in this excuse for lesure wear to stop a bullet."  
"Like what?" Al asked.  
"Something real thick, like sports equipment." Sam said his mind cranking like heavy machinery. "An umpires protective gear. The vest. Would it fit under this?" He asked Al.  
"We would have to find out." Al said thinking it over.  
"Find out where the the sports equipment is..." He said.  
"I can lead you there." Al said. "Its under the gym."  
"Let's go. I have ten minutes till class starts." Sam said exiting the bathroom. Sam ran down the hallway, and went to the left.  
  
At that exact moment Harry and Lauren came out of the office. Sam went past the duo and down another hallway.  
They looked after her.  
"Where is she going in such rush?" Harry asked. "Happy hour isnt for another couple of hours. And its almost time for class."  
"Hmm. Yeah." Lauren said. "Look, Harry why don't you go to class. I will meet you there."  
"Sure." Harry said giving her a questioning look.  
"I'll be back soon." Lauren said to him. She went around the corner. She watched "Dana go down a flight of stairs. She followed her to the top of the stairs then slowly followed down.  
"Maybe this is my chance to get rid of her for good. If Harrys breaking up with me over someone, it sure isnt going to be her." She thought.  
  
  
Sam looked through the room underneath the gym. All the older used sports equipment. He was looking for the umpire vests. He looked under a stack of old uniforms and found a box.  
"Here we go." Sam told Al who was looking at some old exercise equipment. "Hopefully I can get one or two under this outfit."  
Al whistled a little tune. Sam looked up and was face to face with Lauren.  
"Dana we need to talk." Lauren said.  
"Sure, Ms Davis, what do you need?" Sam asked.  
"It's really important." Lauren said thinking. "We need a little privacy."  
"Can't get more private than right here." Sam said.  
"I know, but people can hear through the air vent." Lauren said. "Go over there." She pointed at an area next to another section. It was a old baseball batting cage.  
Sam followed Laurens finger while carting two of the thickest umpire vests with him.  
"Why do we need to talk over here." Sam said. "Shouldn't we be getting to class?"  
"I will. But you wont." Lauren said giving Sam a hefty shove. Sam fell forward over a box and ended up in the batting cage. Lauren grabbed a lock and placed it in the latch.  
"Lauren!" Sam said. "What are you doing?"  
"You very well know what I'm doing!" Lauren said. "Harry is going to break up with me. I know hes going to see another woman soon after, and I will be damned if that woman is going to be you Dana." She said. "Its a little last minute, but you left me no choice."  
"Wait, please, you have to let me out." Sam said. Something terrible is going to happen in Harrys class, and I am the only one who can stop it."  
"Do I look stupid to you?" Lauren asked. "You are going to stay in here for a long time." She said walking away. "See you later Dana."  
"Wait, please!" Sam yelled. "If you don't let me out, someone in Harrys class will die! Lauren!! Lauren!!!!"  
  
Harry was writing a new homework assignment on the board. Lauren came in before the first bell rang.  
"I hope everything went well." Harry said as some students filed in.  
"It's fine." Lauren said. "I have the feeling everything is going to be fine."  
  
"Al how do I get out of here?" Sam asked.  
"Don't look at me, I'm in no position to pick a lock." Al said.  
"Hmm." Sam said pacing. He looked up. "It looks like this is an open cage."  
"If it was an open cage, you would be out." Al said.  
"No, I mean most cages would have a roof. This doesnt." Sam said. "I can climb out." He said "But of course that would be dangerous." He thought for a minute and saw the umpire vests that he dropped when Lauren pushed him in the cage. "Ah hah." He said. "I guess I can get more than one use out of these." He said picking them up.  
"What are you going to do?" Al asked as Sam stuffed the umpire vests under his shirt.  
"Dana didnt get out, but its not going to be that way this time." Sam said as he started to climb. "Al turn around. I don't want you to even think about looking up this girls skirt at a time like this."  
"All right." Al turned around. Sam quickly scaled over the fence wall. He then let go at the top and jumpe down. He misjudged the distance and tumbled onto his chest.  
"OWwww." Sam said. "Suddenly the vest was a good idea." He said. "I'm glad I'm not a guy today though." He groaned.  
Al looked at the device. "We gotta get going!" He said.  
"I'll meet you there.I hope we're not too late." Sam said as he went up the stairs.  
  
"The american revoltion was caused in part by taxes." Harry said. "Some of the taxes were on stamps among other things. But the big thing with them was the tax on teas." He said. "Having come from a tea country, the new americans expected to enjoy their pleasure for their little piece of the homeland in their new home. But the tax ruined that, and that among other things that brought about the war." He said. "Is there something today that could bring about a war, or a major conflict of some sort?"  
"What about a tax on 40's?" A student in the back asked.  
"Okay, how about something thats not from a bad Boyz in the hood sequel." Harry said.  
  
Sam finished running up the stairs and continued running toward Harrys room.  
"What about Danas books in the girls bathroom?" Al asked.  
"Theres no time!" Sam said running past Scott.  
"Hey, you walk in these halls!" He thundered.  
"Ah piss off!" Sam said. He had no time to mess with him now.  
Scott raised his eyebrows and followed after her.  
  
Sam ran into the door, forgetting to open it. Harry and Lauren looked at him. Sam took a breath and opened the door. Harry went to him, with Lauren on his tail.  
"Why are you late, Dana? And why do you look like a? England Patriots linebacker?" Harry asked.  
"Linebacker?" Sam thought. He adjusted his umpire pads. It must have ridden up on the upstairs.  
"I have something to tell you." Sam said. Laurens eyes lit up.  
"Don't listen to her, shes crazy." She said.  
"Its very important." Sam said as the door opened. It was Scott.  
"Great timing Scott." Sam thought. "He wasnt supposed to be here until after the gun goes off."  
"Come with me, Ms Poole." Scott said. "I want to talk to you in my office."  
"What? No!" Sam said fighting him off. "I have something to tell Harry...Mr Senate!"  
"You can tell him later. Now come on." He said.  
"No!" Sam said. He wasnt going to let me tell him, Sam thought. I have to say it now, or never. "Antonio Garpaccia has a gun!"  
Scott stopped pulling on him. Harry looked at him with shock. Lauren was shocked as well, since she thought Dana would reveal that what she did to her downstairs.  
"It's true." Sam said. "Its in his bag."  
Their attention turned to Antonio. Scott approached him.  
"I'm going to have to ask you to relinquish your bag." He said holding out his hand.  
"Forget it." Antonio said. He got up and whipped his gun out of the bag. "Its too late now."  
"It's never too late." Scott said.  
"Put the gun down, Antonio." Sam said. "We can talk." He said as he and Harry and Lauren approached. "We can resolve this withouth violence. Without anyone dying."  
Antonio thought it over. His hand shook. Some tears came down his face. Scott got as close to him as he dared to. Antonio looked up at him.  
"No. It can't." He said aiming the gun at Sam. Sam gasped. Antonio quickly pulled the trigger before anyone tried to grab him. Sam winced as he anticipated the bullet coming at him. The impact was quick and brutal. The impact of it threw him back five feet. Sam was a big man, he knew, in real life, but small Dana Poole would be no match to the projectary path of a bullet. Sam felt himself thrown to the floor. From his place on the floor he could the students run out of the room. Scott had thrown Antonio to the floor. He took the fun away from him and kicked it aside. Harry picked it up. He took out the clip inside it and emptied the chamber.  
"Dana?" Harry asked as he discarded the gun. He sat next to Sam. "Dana?" He asked. He opened Danas shirt and revealed the umpire vests. He lifted the first umpire vest. There was a hole blasted throught it. By some sort of miracle, the bullet was somehow stopped by the second, thicker vest.  
"Oh my god." Harry said to Lauren. "She knew." He said. "Somehow she knew."  
"Oh my god." Lauren answered. "She was this close to dying."  
"Where were you anyway?" Harry asked Sam. Sam looked at Lauren.  
"Lauren locked me into a batting cage downstairs." Sam said. "She wanted to keep me away from class. She think you are going to break up with her." Sam continued.  
Harry looked at Lauren. "Did you?" He asked her.  
"I thought you were going to break up with me." She said. "And maybe go back to her after she graduates. So you don't get in trouble like Milton and Kevin did." She said. "Were you?"  
"I don't think I was going to." Harry said to her. "But this changes that, a little bit I think." Harry said. He turned and went out the door. Lauren followed him.  
Al appeared at Sams side as Sam got up. He excused himself to the bathroom, after which Scott told him to report to his office so he could tell him everything that happened. Sam went into the bathroom where he left Danas books.  
"Was that my real mission? That Harry know the truth about Lauren?" Sam asked as soon as he was sure that the room was empty.  
"Apparently so. The shooting was a coincidence. Or maybe it was part of it after all. Maybe its what led up to it." Al said.  
"Then why didnt this transfer thing pop up until the fourth time?" Sam asked.  
"Who knows. Maybe we were meant to figure that out." Al said. "It's time."  
"Great." Sam as he felt himself leap.  
"Good news." Al said. "You get to be a ballerina." Al said as he was almost gone."  
"Perfect, no guns." Sam said.  
"Don't speak too soon, you'll be a communist defector." Al said as they both left.  
Dana blinked. She stared into the mirror. Why was her shirt off? And why was she only in her bra?  
The bathroom door opened. "Scott is ready for you." Louisa said.  
"Okay." Dana said spaced out. She put her extra shirt on, that she had in her bag. She went to Scotts office. She sat down in front of him. He was cheesed about something, but Dana didnt know what.  
"Okay, Dana, tell me everything that happened today." Scott said.  
"What happened today?" Dana asked.  
"Thats what I want to know." Scott said.  
"To tell you the truth Scott, like it would mean anything, I can't tell you what happened at all today." Dana said. "I went to bed, then I was here. I don't remember a damn thing." Scott shook his head. "No clue at all." Dana finished.  
  
  
The end  
  
  



End file.
